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A Democratic proposal to create a state lottery is getting a boost from a prominent Republican.

House Ways and Means General Fund chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, responsible for crafting the state's General Fund budget, has signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would use proceeds from a lottery to help fund Medicaid.

Clouse said Thursday "we're just looking at anything to raise funds." The representative supported former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman's 1999 lottery proposal, which was rejected by voters, but Clouse said he believed the public would be more receptive to a lottery today.

Medicaid and the Department of Corrections take up more than half of the troubled General Fund budget, which pays for most non-education funding in the state and faces a $290 million deficit in the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

"For all practical purposes, the General Fund budget has turned into a Medicaid and prison budget," Clouse said. "Any relief Medicaid can get, that would certainly add relief to other General Fund agencies."

Gov. Robert Bentley has proposed filling the hole by increasing taxes on cigarettes and automobile sales and eliminating certain credits and deductions, but the package has already been altered by Clouse and others, and faces an uphill battle in the Legislature.

Like Siegelman's proposal, the lottery bill — sponsored by House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden — would go to voters for approval if it passed the Legislature. It would not be voted on until next year at the earliest, too late to help the 2016 budget, which goes into effect at the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. Should voters approve the lottery, further time would be needed to set up a lottery operation.

Ford said Thursday Clouse's support was "very encouraging," and said he thought the chairman's co-sponsorship could bring other Republicans on board.

"We're leaving $282 million on the table going across state lines," Ford said. "This is a voluntary tax. If they don't want to pay it, (Alabamians) don't have to pay it."

Much about the bill is unknown, including the financial impact and whether it could keep up with growth in the state's Medicaid program. The bill was filed Thursday afternoon, but did not have a financial note attached. Clouse said he would "hazard to guess" on how much money the proposal could bring in, but added that "any additional revenues would certainly help the situation."

Democrats have long advocated for a statewide lottery to help fund education and address budget problems, and included it in their legislative agenda, unveiled Wednesday. Republicans have been more divided on the issue. Bentley did not rule out gambling as a possible solution to the General Fund shortfall, but his $541 million revenue proposal ultimately did not include it.

The governor — who does not factor into the state's method of amending the constitution — has said he personally opposes gambling, but would not oppose a statewide vote on the issue.

Clouse also said Thursday the state should consider pursuing a gambling compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, has introduced a resolution urging Bentley to enter compact negotiations with the tribe; the resolution is part of the Democrats' agenda.

"The state operates liquor stores, and we're doing quite well in liquor stores, I guess," Jackson said Thursday. "What this does is open up opportunity to bring revenue to the treasury. Both budgets are in trouble, and we need help."

A compact with the Poarch Band could potentially bring tens of millions of dollars into state coffers. But on its own, a compact would be unlikely to solve the state's General Fund woes. According to a 2012 report, the Poarch Band saw $600 million in revenue and about $332 million in profit. A Poarch Band spokesman said last fall that the tribe would be open to giving 7 percent of its revenues to the state under a compact. Seven percent of the 2012 revenue would be $42 million; 7 percent of the profits would be about $23.2 million. Alabama would also likely have to grant the Poarch Band a monopoly over gaming operations if it entered a compact.

"It's part of the puzzle," Ford said. "A part of the voluntary puzzle."